Author
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
44 articles
Pat DeLeon is the Distinguished Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (DoD) in the School of Nursing and School of Medicine. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies of Science in 2008 and served as President of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 2000. For over 38 years he was on the staff of U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) retiring as his Chief of Staff. He has received numerous national awards including the Order of Military Medical Merit; Distinguished Service Medal, USUHS; National League for Nursing Council for Nursing Centers, First Public Policy Award; Sigma Theta Tau, Inc., International Honor Society of Nursing, First Public Service Award; Ruth Knee/Milton Wittman Award for Outstanding Achievement in Health/Mental Health Policy, NASW; Delta Omega Honor Society Award for Outstanding Alumnus from a School of Public Health; APA Outstanding Lifetime Contributions to Psychology Award; American Psychological Foundation Gold Medal for Lifetime Achievement in the Practice of Psychology; and Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Hawaii. He has been awarded three honorary degrees. He is currently the editor of Psychological Services. He has over 200 publications.
The 125th APA Annual Convention
Exciting Times Ever since graduate school, I have always felt that attending the annual APA convention was “my gift to me.” It represents a time to reunite with colleagues that I have not seen in a while and, at the same time, actually learn quite a bit about the advances occurring within psychology. At its […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
October 24, 2017
Washington Scene
Continuing Progress at the State Level On April 3, 2017, Idaho became the fifth state in the nation to allow prescriptive authority to psychologists. After three years of work by the Idaho Psychological Association, the legislation passed both houses without opposition and with only two nay votes. How did this happen? Here are a few […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
August 6, 2017
When the Sun’s Coming Up
A Renewed Vision This January, Beth Rom-Rymer invited me to attend her second networking event in furtherance of the Illinois Psychological Association’s (IPA) prescriptive authority (RxP) quest. “It has never been more clear to me that the work of legislation is an ongoing process. Our RxP law’s Rules are moving through a careful approval process. […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
April 7, 2017
“Why Don’t You Let Me Go Home?”
The Importance of Pursuing One’s Passion It is exciting to reflect upon the challenges which dedicated colleagues have willingly embraced, especially when they are serving the “public good.” Two of our true RxP pioneers, who from the beginning have been on the front-line treating those in need of appropriate psychopharmacological care, have recently joined forces […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
December 31, 2016
Washington Scene
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) The VA is the largest employer of psychologists and nurses, and over the years has done an outstanding job of providing high quality health care while simultaneously furthering the utilization of non-physician providers of all disciplines. Thanks to the vision of Toni and Bob Zeiss and the support of […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
October 7, 2016
I Saw Her Again Last Night …
The Best of APA The annual APA Practice Directorate State Leadership Conference (SLC) continues to be the highlight of my APA year. This Spring, 530 colleagues, including an impressive number of early career psychologists and first time attendees, were treated to another spectacular event. Highlights included new models of service delivery, the importance of integrated […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
December 2, 2015
An Exciting Future by Embracing Change
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) One of the most vibrant agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is CDC, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. Since 1946, CDC has served as a public health leader in the U.S. and around the world. It has experts assigned to all 50 states and […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
December 11, 2014
The Evolution Towards Integrated Care
A Gradually Maturing Foundation When the Final Report of the APA Ad-Hoc Task Force on Psychopharmacology, chaired by Michael Smyer, was submitted to the Council of Representatives in November, 1992 it anticipated that: “Practitioners with combined training in psychopharmacology and psychosocial treatments can reasonably be viewed as a new form of health care professional, expected […]
Pat DeLeon, Ph.D.
September 25, 2014